PUBLIC SAFETY

17-year old from Michigan identified in fatal Destin balcony fall

On Tuesday we reported that the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a fatal balcony fall that took place in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023, at a condominium located on 500 Gulf Shore Drive in Destin.

• The victim has now been identified as a 17-year old male from Grand Rapids Michigan who fell from a fourth floor balcony, according to authorities.

The OCSO originally reported that a person staying at a neighboring condo noticed a body outside the building’s entryway and promptly alerted emergency services at approximately 4:08 a.m. Unfortunately, the individual was found deceased when first responders arrived on the scene.

• While the exact cause of the fatality is still under investigation, alcohol is suspected to have played a role.

COMING SOON

Murphy’s USA gas station adding another location to Fort Walton Beach

A new Murphy USA Convenience Store and Gas station is set to be built at the intersection of Beal Parkway and Mary Esther Cutoff, according to the Okaloosa County Permitting website.

• On Wednesday, the existing building was demolished.

The development, located at 564 Beal Parkway N, submitted a proposal for a 2,824 s.f. building on October 24, 2022, with a revised plan to the county on February 24, 2023.

As part of the construction process, a demolition permit was approved on March 30, 2023, which took place today. At this time, there were no details as to when the project would be complete.

SCHOOL

Okaloosa School District to host 2023 Career and Technical Education Career and College Signing Day

Okaloosa County School District Superintendent Marcus Chambers has announced that the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department will be hosting the 4th Annual Career and College Signing Day on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 10 a.m. at the Crestview Community Center, located at 1446 Commerce Drive in Crestview.

• This annual event celebrates the successes of CTE students who have chosen to continue their career and technical education after high school, ensuring a skilled future workforce for the community and the state of Florida.

Last year’s Career & College Signing Day was held at the Crestview Community Center, where Superintendent Chambers welcomed distinguished guests, including Representative Mel Ponder, One Okaloosa EDC Executive Director Nathan Sparks, CareerSource Okaloosa Walton Executive Director Michele Burns, School Board members Linda Evanchyk and Marti Gardner.

• Each of the 136 students were recognized as they signed their Letter of Intent, committing to their future career plans.

According to the District, the Career & College Signing Day aligns with Governor Ron DeSantis’ goal of making Florida the number one state in workforce development by 2030.

As such, Superintendent Chambers and the CTE Department are gearing up for this exciting event as they continue to promote excellence in career and technical education for its students.

THINGS TO DO

‘My Chemical Cocktail’ event to showcase local bars and raise funds for Museum

The My Chemical Cocktail event will provide a platform for local bars along the Emerald Coast to show off some of their most impressive, scientific chemical concoctions while helping raise funds for the Emerald Coast Science Center. 

The event will take place May 13, 2023 from 6-9 p.m. at the Emerald Coast Science Center (31 Memorial Pkwy SW, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548). Guests are invited to take part in this cocktail mix off by sampling and voting for the most scientific cocktails in the area.

• The evening will also include light refreshments, live music, and chances to win prizes. This event is for ages 21 and up.
• My Chemical Cocktail tickets are being sold for $50 each and available at http://bit.ly/mychemicalcocktail.

Bars and restaurants interested in participating should contact Jacie Chandler (jacie@ecscience.org) to receive more information about sample cocktails and event specifications.

• The center is also looking for event sponsors. If your business is interested in supporting this event, please contact Kate Fox.

My Chemical Cocktail proceeds will benefit the Center and its educational programming. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, support from the community allows the Center to provide programming to schools across four counties in the area—between all of the museum’s different school-age programming, it reached over 15,000 students in 2021-2022.

According to the ECSC, this fundraising event will help the center reach its goal to offer superior STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) programming to the Emerald Coast by demonstrating in a fun and engaging way that science is involved in so many things around us.

THE WEEKENDER

A few things to do around town

Want your event featured in this section of the newsletter? Feel free to submit it to our free local community calendar!

April 6, 2023 – 8th Annual Doggie Eggstravaganza – Free – View

April 6, 2023 – Fly Guy Thursdays – Free – View

April 8, 2023 – Eggstravaganza on Hurlburt Field – – View

April 8, 2023 – City of Destin’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt – – View

April 8, 2023 – Emerald Coast Theatre Production – You and Me Under the Sea – – View

April 8, 2023 – Shalimar UMC’s Easter Fest – Free – View

April 8, 2023 – Easter Explosion – Free – View

April 9, 2023 – Easter Brunch at Beach House Bar & Grille – $5 – $75 – View

April 9, 2023 – Easter Day Egg Hunt and Brunch at The Island Resort at Fort Walton Beach – $30 – $65 – View

April 9, 2023 – The Destin Commons Market – – View

April 9, 2023 – Harborwalk Village: Visit the Easter Bunny – – View

April 10, 2023 –  Pirate Show  – Free – View

Looking ahead

April 11, 2023 – Ceramic Mushroom Ring Holder Class – $45 – View

April 11, 2023 – Friends Guild to Host Jazz on the Lawn with Cheryl Jones on April 11th – Free – View

April 11, 2023 –  Movies on the Beach: “The Bad Guys”  – Free – View

April 12, 2023 – Wednesday Night Concert Series | Tribute Series – Free – View

April 13, 2023 – American Spirit: Pure Bourbon. Pure Bravery. – $150 – View

April 14, 2023 – 36th Annual Sandestin Wine Festival – $85.00 – View

April 14, 2023 – Drive-in Laser Light Show presented by 100.3 KROCK [3-Day Event] – – View

April 15, 2023 – Painting a Heron in Acrylics at Artful Things Niceville – $30 – View

April 15, 2023 – Crawfish Boil at Uptown Station – – View

April 15, 2023 – Military Family Appreciation Day – Free – View

April 15, 2023 – 36th Annual Sandestin Wine Festival – $95.00 – View

April 15, 2023 – CALM Annual Fundraiser Dinner – – View

April 17, 2023 –  Pirate Show  – Free – View

April 18, 2023 – Homeschool Science Fair – $7 – View

April 18, 2023 –  Movies On The Beach: “DR. SUESS’ THE LORAX”  – Free – View

April 19, 2023 – C.A.R.E.ing for Turtles – $15 – View

April 19, 2023 – Wednesday Night Concert Series | Tribute Series – Free – View

April 20, 2023 – Bubbly Baytowne – Free – View

April 20, 2023 – Concerts in the Village: Post Modern Jukebox – – View

SPORTS

Niceville Eagles break school records in Boys 4×400 Relay (twice) and Girls 300m Hurdles

The Niceville Track and Field Team delivered an outstanding performance this past weekend, breaking two school records at the Florida Pepsi Relays at the University of Florida in Gainesville and the Clyde Littlefield Relays at the University of Texas. 

• The Eagles showed impressive growth and teamwork, with 23 athletes competing and 14 achieving personal records (PRs) at the Florida Pepsi Relays.

The Boys 4×400 relay team, comprising Eon Morris, James Marion, Jonathon Bocchino, and Dawson Isbell, smashed the school record with a time of 3:17, and then repeated their feat the next day with an even faster time of 3:16. As the team prepared to compete, Coach Zee White held a pre-race talk with the athletes, asking each one what time they were going to “meet [her] at the 200.” Each runner responded with confidence, committing to their times.

During the race, White was stationed at the 200m mark, shouting commands and the athletes’ splits, observing the runners’ discipline as they executed her instructions. White shared her thoughts on this experience: 

• “They are listening. When you think they don’t hear you but you see the tilt of the hips, you see the lift of the arms to the chin, you see the shift to hug the inside of the lane, and the fight in the eyes to go with him…you know they are listening.”

As the race progressed, White realized that the runners’ performance was surpassing her expectations. “As each one of them passed me, I kept looking as if my watch was wrong. 20,21,21,21, I said surely these splits were wrong. They were not!” 

• The team’s commitment to trusting one another and following White’s guidance led them to break the school record.

After the race, an ecstatic Coach White rushed over to congratulate the boys on their remarkable achievement. “That fist pump turned into four amazing sweaty hugs at the end of that race, and it was so amazing to watch.”

At the Clyde Littlefield Relays, Jasmine Dereje broke another school record in the Girls 300m hurdles with a time of 42.03, which is also a personal record for her. 

Other notable achievements from the weekend include the Girls 4×800 team, who set a nine-second season PR at 9:25.621, and junior pole vaulter Van Carter, who scored 4.65m with a goal of clearing 16 feet. Kimah Allen ended the weekend with a 2-foot PR in the shot put with 38’2”.

Coach White acknowledged the team’s success and set her sights on further accomplishments: “We will continue to do the same thing as far as training, but our ultimate goal, obviously, is to be on that podium with state medals. The goal is always the number one spot, but their goal is definitely to be on that podium.”

She added that having a large Coaching staff (8 Coaches total), is why the Eagles’ track team is so successful. 

• “Not many teams have the opportunity to have Coaches who specialize in an event or events,” she said. “This gave us an opportunity to split our team up and send some to Pepsi and some to Texas.”